Back in their cage, Nate sat cross-legged in front of Alice, his face set with determination. Alice glanced at him skeptically, unsure of what he was doing, but the clicking of the lock in his hands soon made it clear.
"What are you doing to me?" Alice asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper in the dimly lit space.
Nate didn't reply. He was entirely focused on the task at hand—unlocking the collar around her neck. His fingers worked deftly, sliding a makeshift pin into the collar's small mechanism. After a few more moments of tinkering, a soft click broke the silence.
The collar fell from Alice's neck with a dull thud.
